HAVANA HAS GROWN DANGEROUS FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE AT NIGHT By Iván García, Cuba Free Press.

HAVANA - Before 1959 in Havana we had a tradition of going to the dances at
Tropicala Gardens or other dance salons to await the arrival of the New Year
and to listen to the sounds of orchestras such as Jorrin and his Cha, cha,
cha, "Arcaño with his marvels" or the great Benny More.

But now, only a year or two away from the new milennium, Havana at night has
turned dangerous. That's why many, such as Armando Pino, 66, a retiree,
remember with nostalgia the bohemian days in the 1950's, when the Cubans would
go to clubs and bars such as "Monseugneur," where famous piano player Bola de
Nieve would play the requested tunes.

You could dance to the sounds of those soft dance songs, interpreted by the
best groups, in any Havana casino. Much to Armando's regret, those days are
but a memory.

The evening options to await 1999 in the Cuban capital were limited to your
ability to get dollars so as to spend the evening in some comfort unless you
had the courage to attend a public dance where the parties have movie endings,
with fist-fights, shots, arrests and dozens of police ready to "neutralize"
the partygoers.

Merriment in Cuba has been expensive for some time. At the Havana
seawall, at the "Salsa Palace", at the Riviera Hotel, a ticket costs $15
- 300 Cuban pesos. But if the orchestra is a popular one - like
"Pablo FG" or the "Charanga Habanera," the price shoots up to $25 - 500 Cuban
pesos, just to dance to the tunes of a fashionable band.

SKYWARD

In a country where the average salary is 200 pesos per month, you really
need an income flow in the U.S. currency to be able to listen to Cuban
music - or what is commonly called popular creole music. If you want to
eat or drink something at the "Salsa Palace," it can add up to $100 - 2,000
Cuban pesos - the equivalent of 10 months worth of salary for an average
employee. That's the going rate.

The Cuban musical bands and their fever for the "greenbacks" have made
their appearances all the more out of reach. Nearing the new millennium,
it is very rare, almost a luxury, for a Cuban to be able to attend live
performances of popular groups like the "Van Van" or Isaac Delgado. But
even worst is that when you leave one of those hard currency clubs, one
of the violent criminal gangs found throughout the city can jump you to
steal whatever little money you have left or take from you anything of
value, such as a Seiko watch, an Italian Fariani shirt or Nike sports shoes.

That's why it hasn't become uncommon for some, upon leaving the
discotheque, to arrive at home or the police station to report the theft
while wearing their underwear, provided that it isn't a brand name. But
it's really a small minority of people who can go to "bacilar" - enjoy
themselves - in places where only dollars are accepted. The great majority
will wait for the New Year at home with a piece of pork meat, purchased with a
great deal of sacrifice, and a third rate bottle of rum. And they're hoping
they'll be able to eat the next and future days.

Generally, the average Cuban spends his meager savings at the end of the
year. But not simply to celebrate a new anniversary of the revolution,
which this year made 40. Always there's the hope that things will improve
for themselves and their families. Only the brave ones take to the streets
looking for parties which, with few exceptions, have as entertainment
first-rate bands. Herded together behind a fence, they drink some brew kept
in thermos/tanks, sold under the guise of "beer". Invariably they are under
the close watch of the so-called Police Special Brigade which is ready to
pounce on anyone involved in the slightest commotion.

There's a rumor among the people that those dance happenings are in fact
police raids to arrest the criminals who attend, en masse, to "kick it up."

Hence, the days when you would attend La Tropical gardens, surrounded by
lush vegetation, where Armando Pino met his wife to the tune of Benny
More's band, are no more. What remains is the risk of attending one of
the public dances: Far from meeting a new love, you might end up in the
midst of a riot.

Havana is not as violent as Medellin or Rio de Janeiro but it's well on
its way.